Field of the Disclosure
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring height.
Background of the Disclosure
Height measurement devices have evolved over the years. Traditionally, a person's height is either taken with a limp tape measure at home or at the doctor's office using a bulky, oversized height scale, typically having a floor base. Other wall mounted devices use a long cumbersome graduated rod having a sliding plank, or a basic graduated retractable tape having a hard to read parallax sight, and a plank.
Several additional electronic measurement devices have been introduced over the past decades to capture height. Some devices electronically capture the vertical position of a person and report the corresponding height measurement, by physically placing a device on top of a person's head, calculating the person's height by measuring the distance from the floor to the ceiling, and then subtracting the distance from the person's head to the ceiling. However, this requires a clear line of sight to a non-vaulted ceiling, and a floor. Due to the ability of the device sliding off the person's head, it has a higher probability of improperly calculating the person's height.
However, this current height-measuring device provides more stability by being mounted onto a surface, not balancing atop of a user's head, and not needing to be located at a prescribed distance from the floor. Further, it does not rely on a bulky floor base apparatus to measure height and there is no parallax error in the reading of its measurements. It provides for a more efficient and accurate height measurement through the incorporation of a distance sensor that calculates heights via the difference of a calibration reading from a distance reading, and it is triggered when a foot platform is moved to a different position. The distance sensor may include a linear encoder or a rotary encoder.